The Problem With The Mac’s Menubar And How To Solve It For Free

What havoc has the Mac App Store caused Mac users? A bloated Menubar. MAS is full of one-trick pony apps that live in the Mac’s Menubar.

Unless you’re using a 27-inch iMac or have the 27-inch Apple display attached to your MacBook (or MacPro or Mac mini), then you know the problem. App menus on the left can override the Menubar apps on the right.

That means some of those Menubar apps won’t be visible if you’re using a smaller screen or a typical MacBook model. It’s math. There’s just not enough room for everything in the Menubar.

The Free Menubar Solution

All those inexpensive and useful Mac utilities have caused the right side of my Mac’s Menubar to grow. Often these days a Mac app’s menu collides with those utility apps.

AccessMenuBarApps is a quirky, interesting, and decent solution to the squeeze being put on by all those apps in the Menubar.

What it does is rather simple. It unhides Menubar apps when the front most app’s menu takes up too much of the Menubar to display all the extra apps.

How it does it is also unique, though a bit complicated. Click to switch between the full Menubar app list, or a reduced Menubar list.

Switching is easy, too. Click on the top border of the Mac’s screen (right above the right most Menubar apps). Or, use a keyboard shortcut. Or, click and push the top border of the Mac’s screen.

AccessMenuBarApps also resides in the Mac’s Dock, so there’s yet another way to click to find those missing Menubar apps. Preferences give you other options, too. Add sound effects to the Menubar switch. Use or not use the Dock icon. Or, change the Dock icon to a clock.

It’s not a perfect solution, but it’s effective, especially if you have a Menubar full of utility apps that sometimes disappear when the front most app takes over.

What I’d like to see is a simple icon in the Menubar (or Dock), that when clicked displays a pop down (or pop up) of all the apps in the Menubar.

That would be a more elegant solution, but it’s hard to beat AccessMenuBarApps’ price tag.

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About Jack Miller

I work for a US technology company in Paris, France and switched from Windows PCs to the Mac 20 years ago. My wife said it would improve our marriage, give us more friends, and reduce stress. I guess that two out of three isn't bad. Read more of my articles here.

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